Random/Homecoming/125th Anniversary

Right now it's 4:25 PM. I'm sitting on a bench outside the newly named Van Dyke Campus Center. It's kind of chilly out, probably the mid-high 60's, but it's really sunny and I'm wearing a warm hoodie so I'm ok. On the bench next to me are two old guys talking about when they were at Houghton back in the 60's. There's a lot of visitors here for Houghton's 125th Anniversary, which I'll talk about more later.


This has been a busy but overall good week. Sunday was good because I made it a point to observe the Sabbath for the first time, something that was encouraged at an all-hall Bible study at Roth last week. I basically just went to church, watched some Looney Tunes, and went on a hike in the woods and through the creek. Mid-week, I felt pretty sick for a while, the combination of poor eating habits and even poorer sleeping habits (or vice versa). But, I adjusted, eating less food and getting more sleep, and right now I'm feeling pretty good.


Yesterday was the Homecoming banquet and dance. I decided that I liked the idea of not spending ten bucks to get dressed up and eat fancy food that I didn't like, so I skipped out on the banquet and played Super Smash Bros. Melee, one of my favorite video games, with Brian and Adam, who also shared my line of thinking. After that, I caved and decided to check out the dance. After taking a quick shower and screwing around with a tie for over half an hour, with unhelpful tips from a magazine article AND YouTube, I gave up hope, audibly cursed Windsor, and threw on a polo. 5 minutes after I got there, I got bored. So I went back to Roth, threw on a sweatshirt, a hoodie, shorts, and sandals, and went puddle-jumping with a similarly-dressed Sarah in the rain. We kicked mud at each other and slid across the quad and basically got nice and wet and muddy (I ignored the fact that I was sick). THEN, we went back to the dance, dripping wet, and danced with Mel and Zac for a bit. It was pretty spectacular.


Even more significant than Houghton's homecoming yesterday was the fact that it was Emily's and mine 23rd month anniversary. That's quite a feat for two teenagers who go to different colleges and have always been long-distance. I'm quite proud of it. Next month, Nov. 2 is our big 2 year anniversary, and I am very excited for that. We're going to get together in Williamsville to celebrate, so maybe we'll see some of you guys there. Also, in a couple weeks, we're going to get together in Penfield for a few days, and I'm VERY pumped for that. Yesterday, she sent me an awesome care package filled with two boxes of popcorn, some raspberry lemonade, a cute little book, and...Looney Tunes comics, both the old school ones from the 50's and the awesome ones from the 90's that I collected as a kid. I also got ANOTHER care package earlier this week from my parents, complete with cookies, banana bread, CD's, and more goodies. I definately felt the love this week.


Even more impressive than Emily and I reaching 23 months was the fact that today, Houghton celebrated its 125th anniversary. Classes were cancelled for today, and there was a very cool service at the chapel this morning which went through the history of Houghton's founding, its presidents, its buildings, and stuff like that. On a personal level, I got to see some awesome people that I know! For instance, Mr. Vogan (a Houghton alumnus and my 1st band teacher who taught me how to play trombone in elementary school), and his sons Jon (South graduate and Houghton student, 2 grades ahead of me) and Jake (South student in Megan's grade) played trumpet during the service. Jillian Parsons was part of it as well, and after the service, I found her with her dad, Pastor Mark! It was very nice to see Mr. Vogan, Jake, and Pastor Mark (Jon and Jillian are nothing new-I see them almost every day!) and it made me miss home a bit. Tonight, there's going to be fireworks and a celebration on the quad, and there's more stuff tomorrow that I'll be checking out. But now, I'm gonna get off the computer and get some food.



This is Emily and me dancing in the snack bar at Camp Findley, where we spent homecoming last year. It was a lot of fun, and the best time I ever had at a dance (not surprising, considering the company and the location!).



This is us at my house the morning after my senior prom this past year (Bocadillo is still passed out on the couch at this point.). Note how Emily looks exactly the same in this picture and the Findley one. It's mad creepy.



This is what my laptop sees.




This is what I see.



This is what my laptop sees when Jamie, Mel's roommate, tries to kill me.